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Jean Valjean
Jean Valjean is the main protagonist of the novel Les Misérables by Victor Hugo. He is also the protagonist of the musical based on the novel. Novel Jean Valjean, convicted for breaking the window pane of Maubert Isabeau the baker to steal a loaf of bread to feed his sister's seven starving children and sent to prison for five years for "burglary at night in an inhabited house". He is paroled from prison 19 years later (after 4 unsuccessful escape attempts added 12 years and fighting back during the second escape attempt added 2 extra years). Rejected by society for being a former prisoner, he encounters the bishop Monsieur Myriel, the bishop of Digne who turns his life around by showing him mercy and encouraging him to become a new man. While sitting and pondering what Monsieur Myriel had said, he accidentally puts his shoe on a 40-sou coin dropped by a young wanderer named "Petit Gervais." Valjean threatens Petit Gervais with his stick when the attempts to rouse Valjean from his reverie and retrieve his sou. He tells a passing priest his name, and the name of Petit Gervais, and this allows the police to charge him with armed robbery...a sentence that, if he were caught again, would return him to prison with a death-sentence. He manages to adopt the alias of Monsieur Madeleine in order to pursue an honest life, after saving the two children of the head policeman of Montreuil-sur-Mer, who therefore does not feel motivated to inquire into Monsieur Madeleine's past. He introduces some new manufacturing techniques and eventually builds two factories and becomes one of the wealthiest gentlemen in the area. By popular acclaim he is elected to become mayor (after rejecting the offer once and rejecting the Legion Of Honor award). He encounters with Inspector Javert over Fantine's punishment, turns himself into the police to save a gentleman named "Champmathieu" (who the police think is Jean Valjean) from receiving a death-sentence, rescues Cosette from the Thénardiers, and adopts her. Discovered by Javert in Paris because of his habit of giving so much of his money to poor people, he manages to evade capture for the next several years in a garden...Old Fauchelevent, whose life he saved while mayor was employed there and wanted to return the favor and save Valjean's life. He saves Marius from incarceration and possible doom at the barricade, reveals his true identity to Marius and Cosette after their wedding, and is reunited with them just before his fate, having kept his promise to Monsieur Myriel. Musical Songs Act I *Prologue *At The End Of The Day *Fantine's Arrest *The Runaway Cart *Who Am I? *Come to Me (Fantine's Death) *The Confrontation *The Well Scene *The Bargain/The Thénardier Waltz of Treachery *Suddenly (2012 film only) *The Robbery/Javert's Intervention *In My Life *The Attack on Rue Plumet *One Day More Act II *Building the Barricade (Upon These Stones) *Night of Anguish *The First Attack *Bring Him Home *The Second Attack (Death of Gavroche) *Dog Eats Dog (The Sewers) *Every Day *Valjean's Confession *Valjean's Death *Finale List of Portrayers Musical * Maurice Barrier – Original French Concept Album, Original Paris stage cast * Colm Wilkinson – Original London cast, Original Broadway cast, 10th Anniversary concert * Michael Burgess – Original Canadian cast, 10th Anniversary concert (as one of the 17 Valjeans) * Robert Marien – 1991 Paris revival, 10th Anniversary concert (as one of the 17 Valjeans) * Alexander Gemignani – 2006 Broadway revival * John Owen-Jones – 2006-2008: Broadway revival * Ramin Karimloo – 2011-2012: The Queen's Theatre * Alfie Boe – 25th Anniversary Concert at the O2 Movies * Maurice Costello – 1909 film * Henry Krauss – 1913 film * William Farnum – 1917 film * Gabriel Gabrio – 1925 film * Harry Baur – 1934 film * Fredric March – 1935 film * Michael Rennie – 1952 film * Jean Gabin – 1958 film * Frank Finlay – 1967 mini-series * Georges Géret – 1972 mini-series * Richard Jordan – 1978 film * Lino Ventura – 1982 film/1985 mini-series * Liam Neeson – 1998 film * Gérard Depardieu – 2000 mini-series * Hugh Jackman – 2012 film External Links * Jean Valjean's Wikipedia page Gallery Film JV2.jpg JV1.jpg Musical Colm Wilkinson.jpg Co;m Wilkinson.png is.jpg Category:Characters Category:Characters who passed away